The Connecticut Supreme Court picked redistricting maps that maintain the partisan status quo of the 5th Congressional District.
Prior to redistricting, CT-5 was given a partisan rating by Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight of D+3. The Connecticut Supreme Court approved the state’s new congressional maps on February 10 and the 5th District’s partisan rating remains the same. The court took control of the process after a bipartisan body of state legislators failed to come to an agreement on the lines.
Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District is currently represented by incumbent U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-CT-05). The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has included Hayes on its list of Democrat incumbents that are targeted for defeat.
For the 2022 election cycle, FEC records show that Hayes has raised $884,230.82 and has a war chest of $1,430,277.55.
Hayes has represented Connecticut’s 5th District since 2019, defeating former mayor of Meriden Manny Santos 55.87 percent to 44.12 percent. In 2020 Hayes was reelected, beating former assistant U.S. Attorney and Republican nominee David X. Sullivan by 11.6 percent.
Prior to serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Hayes worked as a teacher.
Hayes voted to impeach President Donald Trump in 2019 on both articles of impeachment. She is also a reliable vote for the Biden administration agenda. As of January 20, according to FiveThirtyEight, Hayes votes with President Joe Biden’s position 98 percent of the time.
Hayes’ campaign website lists issues that are important to her. They include equity and social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and bans on certain gun platforms, like the AR-15.
Hayes is also in favor of biological male children competing in girls’ sports. In June of 2020, she issued a letter condemning the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to strike down Connecticut’s transgender student athletic policy.
“The decision of the Department of Education to issue a determination targeting transgender student athletes on the eve of Pride Month is not coincidental. It is a transparent example of their campaign against the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ children.” said Rep. Hayes. “Title IX was created so that all young women – no matter their sex assigned at birth – are protected from discrimination and have access to opportunity. It was not meant to target children who do not identify as cisgender or create a space in which transgender kids must choose between living truthfully or having access to opportunities.”
Republican former State Senator George Logan is running in the GOP primary, which takes place on August 9. He has raised $262,803.37 and has $173,829.99 cash on hand.
Logan is participating in the NRCC Young Guns program and is currently listed as On the Radar. Candidates in the program are closely monitored by the NRCC. The program gives the NRCC an opportunity to better assess a candidate’s chances for victory in the November general elections.
His bio, which is listed on the NRCC website, describes Logan as a family man and child of immigrants. It also talks about his work in the Georgia State Senate. “During his two terms in the State Senate, George fought backbreaking tax hikes and fiscal mismanagement. He tackled the tough issues facing the well-being of his community and brought people together to fight the opioid epidemic to find solutions that work.”
The Cook Political Report gives the race a Likely Democratic rating.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Connecticut Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR.
